


Red Letter Day

by KittyHawke



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: But everything is good, Just two guys being in love, Like one slightly intense conversation at the end, M/M, One Shot, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:20:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyHawke/pseuds/KittyHawke
Summary: It's the first Valentine's Day that Ermal and Fabrizio can spend together, and Fabrizio intends to spoil his boyfriend.
Relationships: Ermal Meta/Fabrizio Moro
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Red Letter Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JuliaBaggins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JuliaBaggins/gifts).



> I wrote this story as a birthday gift for my lovely friend Julia. It wasn't requested, I just sat down and tried to make something fluffy. Whether I succeeded is another question xD
> 
> Thank you for your enthusiastic response, dear. It's very confidence building. And for anyone else who'd like to read, I hope you enjoy <3

Technically this was their second Valentine’s Day, but with Sanremo and Ermal’s tour taking over the month last year, this was their first opportunity to spend the date together and Fabrizio planned to make the most of it. The children were with Giada, he had borrowed an Albanian recipe book and chosen a dish which he fervently hoped he could cook properly, and he planned to take Ermal out to dinner tonight. It was easier to get a table on the 13th and that left tomorrow free for them to spend as they wished. Fabrizio had already written out a card and bought flowers and a teddy. They were silly gifts and perhaps he’d gone a little overboard, but he was a romantic at heart. He liked the chance to wine and dine, and he wanted to spoil his boyfriend and make him feel loved this weekend. He was quite proud of what he’d put together and hoped Ermal liked it. There was a fine line between what his beloved cespuglio found romantic and what he found embarrassing.

Fabrizio did another mental circuit of the house, trying to rid himself of the nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something. The house was clean and tidy, fresh flowers sitting in a glass vase in the hall and lunch simmering on the stove. How did he look? Probably a little casual, but better that than overdressed. His shirt was ironed, his jeans didn't have holes in them and he'd made some attempt to tame his wayward hair, even if it did remain resolutely disobedient. Glasses or no glasses? He held the lenses to his eyes and then lowered them. He looked like a dad with glasses, and call him shallow, but that wasn't the image he wanted to give Ermal. He wanted to at least look younger and more vibrant than he was.

The front doorbell rang and his heart beat a nervous tattoo. He hoped that wasn't a salesman again. The last one had probably been very insulted to have been greeted with a manic grin and a furious scowl within three seconds. He ran downstairs, paused in the hall to take a deep breath and wondered why he had been reduced to the level of a fourteen year old at his age, and then opened the door.

This time it was Ermal who stood on his front step, a bottle of wine in hand. He looked incredible, dressed all in black with skinny jeans and a jacket that showed off his slim figure to excellent effect. His hair was so sleek and shiny that it was almost reflective, and the curls had been styled in such an exaggerated way that they were dangerously close to being ringlets. He'd had that done professionally, Fabrizio figured at once. He would never have done it to himself and only an over-excited stylist, eager to get their hands on such beauty without a clue of what to do with it, could have been responsible.

“Welcome to my humble abode” Fabrizio said, smiling.

“You say humble, but I've already seen your lawn. It looks like a tennis court. You don't fool me” Ermal replied sternly, but he nevertheless returned the smile.

Fabrizio chuckled and stepped aside to let him in. “Give me the wine and I'll put it in the fridge.”

Ermal did so, taking one step into the house and stopping short to gasp. “Oh Bizio, I love the floors” he enthused.

“They need a lot of polishing to make them look so nice” Fabrizio admitted.

“I can imagine. What's that smell? Oh...” Ermal floated into the kitchen and inhaled appreciatively. “It smells divine. You didn't have to cook for me.”

“I wanted to,” Fabrizio admitted shyly, storing the wine safely. “Do you want the grand tour now or later?”

“Let's do it now.”

He quickly showed him the mod-cons in the kitchen and the view through the back window, and then the living room with its wraparound sofa and coffee table, followed by a trip upstairs to see the studio and the two bedrooms.

“Giada's redecorating the kids' rooms right now,” he explained. “She's going for a Parisian theme for Anita so she can grow into it, and Libero is getting football. I trust that his interest in that won’t wane any time soon. I think it'll look really well when it's done.”

“I think it looks pretty amazing already. Did she paint that Eiffel Tower?” Ermal asked.

“She did.”

His boyfriend looked at him and pouted adorably. “I'm jealous. I can't even do a stick man.”

“And Giada can't even play Kumbaya on a guitar,” he replied. “We all have our talents. And this is my room.”

He crossed the hall and threw open the door. Ermal walked inside, looking admiringly at the walk-in wardrobe and ottoman bench next to the bed, specially installed to accommodate someone with a lot more clothes than Fabrizio. “Your bed looks so comfortable” he said, running his hand over the freshly changed covers.

“It is.”

Ermal looked back at him with a mischievous smirk. “I could sleep for twelve hours on this.”

Hopefully he would do more than sleeping on it, Fabrizio thought. “Would you like to try my cooking first?” he asked, pretending not to notice his boyfriend’s attempts to tease.

“Absolutely.”

**

Lunch was a triumph. Ermal made pleased noises at the sight of the food and upon taking his first bite, so at least it wasn’t burned, Fabrizio thought with relief.

“It's delicious,” Ermal declared at last. “In fact...If I suddenly fall off my chair, it's because my mother just slapped me from across the country, but it's even nicer than I remember. My mother made it with milk because she has very mild tastes, but the peppers add so much flavour.”

“Better than your mother? Heavy praise indeed,” Fabrizio remarked. “Will we have some tea?”

“Why not?”

Ermal wandered away into the living room as Fabrizio boiled the kettle, and he smiled upon hearing the sound of a guitar through the wall. The tune wasn't familiar enough to recognise immediately, but it was beautiful and he moved into the hall to listen more intently. As he did so, Ermal's sweet voice began to sing quietly.

“Così una favola divenne realtà  
Tutte le preghiere, formarono milioni di stelle...”

Fabrizio stood there and listened for a few more seconds, letting the music wash over him and fighting to keep the tears in his eyes. He finally had to return to the kitchen before Ermal realised he was there.

He brought the tea in the mugs that Ermal had given him as a Christmas present. They had been posted from Milan so he had missed Fabrizio’s reaction when he opened the box to find the two cups, one blue with a yellow checked pattern and the other identical with its colours reversed, but he made sure to thank Ermal profusely over Skype and let him know how much he wished he could hug him. This would be their first opportunity to drink from the mugs together.

“Thank you.” Ermal took his cup and set it down on the coffee table. As Fabrizio sat down beside him, Ermal also removed his cup from his hands and put it down.

“What are you doing?”

“It's hard to drink tea and be kissed at the same time.”

Ermal leaned in and wrapped his arms around Fabrizio's neck, and he willingly surrendered to his kisses. Soft, lingering pecks soon became deeper and hungrier, not so much in a sexual sense as simply remembering how good it felt to kiss Ermal. It had been weeks since he'd had this body in his arms and its rediscovery always combined a wonderful sense of novelty with comfortable familiarity. He knew how Ermal's slim waist and arching back felt under his hands, how to make him sigh with a hand in his hair or groan with a gentle bite on his lower lip, but every time it happened felt like the first time all over again. Perhaps this was one reason why he, who was notorious for getting bored in relationships, showed no signs of wearying of this one.

“I was thinking...” He said breathlessly upon lifting his head for air. “How would you feel about going out for dinner tonight?”

“I'd love to,” Ermal said eagerly, and then frowned curiously. “Wait, is this for Valentine's Day?”

“Maybe,” Fabrizio felt a blush creeping up his cheeks. “I actually booked a table to get ahead of the queue. I thought going tonight would be better to miss the crowds and have a nice dinner without worrying about people waiting for our table.”

“Sounds like an idea” Ermal agreed.

“You have to promise not to laugh or tease me when we get there.”

“Why would I? Are you taking me to McDonald's?”

“No...” Fabrizio glanced down and put a hand to his face. “It was really difficult to get a table at this place...”

Ermal took his hand and gently placed it on his lap. “Do you know how adorable you are when you do that?” he asked. “It’s like you’re asking me to kiss you.”

So saying, he did exactly that.

**

The girl behind the desk had dark brown hair, purple nails and a bored expression. That lasted all of a second after the door closed. She glanced up and looked like she'd been electrocuted.

“Hi!” she called. “Table eighteen, right? It's at the back so it's very private.”

She hadn't even asked for their names. Fabrizio could see the confusion on Ermal’s face, no doubt wondering how he knew this young girl, but that question was answered when another- this time with blonde hair and turquoise nails- appeared.

“Can I be in the picture too?” she asked hopefully.

Purple Nails pulled out her phone and turned the screen to take a selfie. Turquoise Nails moved in beside her and Fabrizio did the same, having to bend over to fit in the shot, giving a thumbs-up to the screen. Afterwards there was a rapid thirty seconds of talking over each other, name-dropping favourite songs and expressing compliments, before Purple Nails had to return to the other hungry diners and Turquoise Nails brought them to their seats.

“Here’s the wine list,” she said. “I recommend the Lambrusco. Let me take you through today’s specials…”

“Don't say a word” Fabrizio warned when they were alone.

“I wasn't going to,” Ermal protested innocently, struggling not to laugh. “This table is lovely.”

“It is. What do you think you'll have?”

“Tagliatelle” Ermal replied without hesitation.

“Really?”

“Uh-huh,” Ermal smiled. “I know you'll still love me with cheese on my chin. It's very liberating.”

“Then I'll have the risotto.”

“Hmm, a nice manageable date-like meal,” Ermal remarked, grinning mischievously. “Can I have a bite of it?”

Fabrizio reached over the table and held his hand, stroking his thumb over the knuckles and just looking at him. He was so beautiful, so full of light and joy and love. Fabrizio felt so lucky to have him in his life. “You can have as much of it as you want” he said quietly.

Ermal's smile made way for a blush, caught between happiness and embarrassment. It was on the tip of Fabrizio's tongue to whisper those words that always made Ermal's cheeks turn from rosy to red, as if he wasn't used to hearing them even now, when he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

Diagonally across from him was a table where a couple were seated. This wasn't unusual as every table in the place hosted a pair, but this particular couple weren't looking at each other, but at him and Ermal. The suspiciously narrowed eyes suggested that he hadn't stumbled across another pair of fans.

“Did I tell you about the holiday with the children?” he asked loudly. “Their mother came with us.”

The couple turned back around and continued their meal.

“Uh, yes. I heard about that,” Ermal said doubtfully. “I wish I’d been there. Was it fun?”

“Are you ready to order?” Turquoise Nails asked brightly, reappearing with a pencil and pad.

“I'll have the risotto” Fabrizio requested.

“Tagliatelle” Ermal muttered, barely glancing at her before fixing his gaze back on Fabrizio. He realised how that sudden change of topic must have sounded and felt a wave of guilt. He shouldn’t have made Ermal sad on account of some bigots, and he certainly wouldn’t let them spoil the rest of the night.

“I don't mean to be a bother,” he said to the waitress. “But we've been getting some nasty looks from that table over there. Is it possible to move?”

Turquoise Nails looked over her shoulder and back at him. “We'll take care of that, sir. I'm sorry for any inconvenience. Please stay here.”

She marched away. Fabrizio turned to Ermal and found his boyfriend staring back alertly. “Did you see...Is that why you...?” he asked inelegantly.

Fabrizio reached over and took his hand again. “Did I ruin the mood? I'm so sorry.”

Ermal smiled happily and sandwiched Fabrizio's hand in both of his, lifting it to his lips. “We can get it back,” he said. “And you can tell me about the kids if you want. I haven't seen them in ages. How are they?”

Fabrizio chuckled with relief. “Well, Anita has become a menace to my studio,” he said affectionately. “I keep finding her in there trying to play the keyboard. No matter where I hide the key she finds it. I think she enjoys the challenge.”

“Oh!” Ermal's face lit up with delight. “Miria is learning the piano right now, actually. She's in lessons, but she isn't so good at reading music sheets so I wrote the notes on all of her books and on the keys on the piano at home. It seems to really help. I don't know why her teacher didn't think of that.”

“I thought about sending Anita to lessons, but she gets bored too easily. Maybe when she's older,” Fabrizio remarked. “Oh, and Libero would like you to attend one of his matches when you can. He thinks you can appreciate the beauty of the sport because you're so active in charity football. Whether you can appreciate spending your Saturday standing around a school field...”

“As long as he doesn't try to make me a substitute, I'm there,” Ermal interrupted. He stroked the sun on the back of Fabrizio’s hand. “Bizio, you know I love your kids, right? They're not bothering me by asking for my time. I really enjoy it, actually.”

“I know that. I just don't want you to think you can't say no.”

“Fabrizio,” Ermal said. The sound of his full name made his stomach jump, much as his nickname had when it was still new. “The time I spend with you and the kids is second only to my own family. You don't need to worry.”

Logically he knew that. It was clear that Ermal loved his kids and the feeling was mutual, and Fabrizio was overjoyed about that, but sometimes he still felt that the burden was on him to maintain a good balance for all parties. The short-lived relationships he’d had before Ermal had all died on one hill, which was that his partners resented that they were always second place to his children. So far Ermal had made no complaints about that, but Fabrizio didn’t want him to think that he had no right to private time with his boyfriend.

He glanced away, trying to reorder his thoughts to give an answer, and then noticed an empty table standing out in the sea of couples. Ermal noticed that his attention was diverted and looked around.

“What?”

“They're gone,” Fabrizio pointed at the table where the glaring couple had been less than a few minutes ago. “That was fast.”

Ermal looked at the empty table and back. “She killed them” he whispered dramatically. Fabrizio grinned with amusement. “Maybe there are advantages to having your fan club around,” Ermal added. “Does that mean I can kiss you now?”

Fabrizio didn't bother to answer, instead leaning over the table and pressing their lips together. Ermal tasted like cheese sauce. “I love you so much.”

“I love you more” Ermal murmured back. Fabrizio didn't know how his heart didn't thump right out of his chest.

“That's not true,” He pecked his boyfriend’s lips again. “I am the one who loves you more.”

“Fool, don’t start a battle you can't win.”

Their meals arrived, along with a complimentary bread basket and an offer to have one dessert free of charge. As promised, Fabrizio shared his risotto and Ermal returned the favour, causing strings of pasta to swing against Fabrizio’s chin and coat it in blue cheese sauce. His boyfriend very kindly offered to kiss it away.

They declined to sample the chocolate cake at the restaurant for dessert, instead heading to a gelato parlour down the street, hand in hand and arms swinging gaily. These were the simple joys of life, dancing around streetlights like children, kissing beside the Tiber like lovers in a cheesy movie without caring who saw, sitting on a bench with cups of ice-cream and shoulders leaning against each other.

They returned home drunk more on high spirits than wine. “Thanks for a great night” Ermal said, slipping his hands around Fabrizio’s waist.

“It doesn't have to end there” he replied.

The arms tightened around him and a suggestive smirk appeared on that pretty face. “What did you have in mind?”

Fabrizio leaned in for a quick kiss, pulling back before he got too involved. “Let's take a shower.”

“Why, do you have to go home to your wife?”

“Come on.” Fabrizio giggled, taking his hand and pulling him upstairs.

**

The morning of Valentine's Day itself dawned with glaring sunshine and a stiff breeze lowering the temperature, at least outside. Within Fabrizio's bed, the conditions were still warm and comfortable. He groaned as he rolled onto his back and stretched, clicking his bones back into position, smiling at the discontent hum from the man who had previously been settled happily in his arms.

“Good morning, sweetheart” he said.

“Bizio...” Ermal grumbled, trying to reach for him without opening his eyes. “Cuddle...”

Fabrizio rolled over, back into Ermal's range, and the other man immediately locked his arms around him and hugged him like a teddy bear.

“You're worse than Anita” he remarked.

“Not...”

Fabrizio fought not to shake with laughter. He had to come to realise that 'not a morning person' could barely be called an accurate description of Ermal. His boyfriend was a completely different person before breakfast, and even Ermal had little or no memory of what he actually did while still half-asleep. It was like Jekyll and Hyde, if Hyde's worst crimes were an inability to form complete sentences and a desire to cuddle anything that fell within his reach.

“Happy Valentine's Day, love” Fabrizio said. There was no response. Ermal had fallen back to sleep. Fabrizio smiled and lifted his hand, tickling his boyfriend's arm. Ermal swiped it away. The nuisance returned. Fabrizio was freed from the hug so that Ermal could turn his attention to combat, and so began a fairly impressive display. Ermal was somehow able to grab his hand, knock it away in mid-air and eventually slam his arm repeatedly on the bed to squash the stubborn pest, all without opening his eyes. Only when Fabrizio burst out laughing did Ermal return to the world, opening his eyes and blinking up at him.

“Did you tickle me?” he asked dazedly.

“Yes,” Fabrizio admitted. “Sorry, it was just so funny.”

“Oh,” Ermal rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. “That was a good way to wake up, actually.”

“Happy Valentine's Day” Fabrizio said again.

“Oh yes,” Ermal looked at him and smiled. “Any plans for today.”

“No real plans. We'll do what you want,” Fabrizio said, getting off the bed. “I hope you don't mind, but I did get you something.”

“Oh?” Ermal frowned, his eyes following Fabrizio as he disappeared into the studio, returning with a vase of flowers in one hand and a wicker basket containing the card and teddy in the other. His boyfriend’s eyes lit up in surprise and delight.

“I love flowers!” he declared, grabbing impatiently for the bright bunch of reds and yellows.

“I know,” Fabrizio smiled. “The teddy is a bit...You don't have to...”

Ermal ignored his attempts at an explanation and lifted the bear, grinning at the red heart it held in its paws. “He's adorable. I've never had a teddy,” he added, holding it to his chest. “At least I'll have something to hug on the nights you're not with me. And what's this?”

He reached for the card and Fabrizio held his breath. He had thought long and hard about what to write inside, and the studio was full of draft versions that had been rejected as overly emotional or not sincere enough. He still didn’t know if he had the right balance, but he would soon find out.

 _Dear Ermal,_  
_Today marks just over three years since the day we met. Who would have guessed what that meeting would bring? A wonderful collaboration, amazing new experiences, renewed hope for the future and musical inspiration, and most of all the chance to fall in love again that I thought would never happen to me. Thank you for some of the best years of my life. I hope there will be more to come._  
_Hugs and kisses,_  
_Fab._

Ermal read the card in silence and looked at Fabrizio. His eyes were shining. He got out of bed, put his arms around Fabrizio’s neck and kissed him briefly, closed-mouth to spare him from the morning breath. “You are the kindest man I've ever met” he said.

Fabrizio felt the instinctive urge to duck his head and hide his face, and hugged Ermal so he could do in his shoulder. The disguise seemed to work.

“I have to go and get you something now. I didn't bring anything. I didn't know...” Ermal began. Fabrizio straightened up and held his face in his hands.

“You don't have to. You being here is enough for me.”

Ermal smiled, but still squirmed to be free. “It's not enough for me. You went to all this trouble and I didn't even bring a card. I have to do something to make it up to you.”

“You could make breakfast” Fabrizio suggested lightly. Ermal leapt on the idea, nodding vigorously. “Yes! What would you like?” he asked eagerly.

“Honestly, I just feel like pancakes. We have those in the cupboard. Let me take a shower and I'll be with you.”

Ermal immediately zoomed downstairs, leaving Fabrizio to smile and shake his head at his dramatics, even as his boyfriend's desperation to reciprocate a romantic gesture filled him with warmth and happiness.

He jumped into the shower, biting his lip at the memories of last night. Ermal's challenging smirk as he handed over the shampoo bottle, how he squirmed under Fabrizio's hands and struggled to obey his boyfriend's stern commands to stand up straight, the feeling of cold tiles against his back, moans in his ear and sharp bites on his shoulder. Ermal typically took control, and he preferred things that way, but Fabrizio was pleased to have treated him last night. It was in the spirit of the occasion after all. He hoped he would be able to do it again tonight.

Five minutes later, he was out of the shower and striding towards the bedroom in only a towel. The smell of butter and the sound of singing from the kitchen meant there would be no audience to appreciate the sight, although Fabrizio certainly appreciated the sound.

“In un mondo senza regole, io sono il sasso, tu il mare.

Annegare nel tuo cuore per me, e il miglior modo di morire...”

As he walked into the bedroom, he heard another sound, that of a phone ringing. A quick check of his phone confirmed it wasn't for him, which meant someone was calling Ermal. Fabrizio dived towards the noise, opening his boyfriend's overnight bag and pushing aside a shirt and those gorgeous leather trousers. His hand landed on the phone right as it stopped ringing, and he caught a glimpse of 'Gjyshe' on the screen before it went black.

Fabrizio sighed in disappointment. He hoped the call wasn't urgent as he'd rather get dressed before going downstairs. He moved to stand and do just that, and then stopped as he noticed something else in the bag. It was an envelope. The bright orange colour suggested that it wasn't official correspondence, and Fabrizio's curiosity won out. He lifted the envelope, becoming even more intrigued at the sight of his name. In fact, it was his nickname- Bizio with a small heart over the first I. Only one person could have written this, and Fabrizio could think of only one reason why it was here.

“What’s this?” he asked, walking into the kitchen. Ermal turned from the cooker with a smile on his face, one that swiftly disappeared at the sight of the envelope held high.

“No, don’t look at that” he ordered frantically.

“It has my name on it” Fabrizio pointed out.

“It’s nothing,” Ermal retorted, looking back at the pancakes. “I brought a card, but it wasn’t right, okay?”

“I’d like to see it anyway.”

After a moment, his boyfriend shrugged and turned away. Fabrizio carefully pulled the glue apart and slipped out a plain white card with a single red rose on the front. It looked sweet and stylish, just like Ermal, and he smiled as he opened it to see the message inside.

_An ass like yours is hard to find, that’s why I spend so much time around it._

Fabrizio read it once, twice, and then burst into explosive laughter. Ermal turned sharply, looking surprised by the noise and even more surprised by the sight before him. “Do you like it?” he asked incredulously.

“I love it,” Fabrizio managed to say through chuckles. “It’s so funny. Why were you hiding it?”

Ermal squirmed uncomfortably. “I didn’t know you were going to make so much effort. I couldn’t give you that after all the romance” he admitted.

Fabrizio stopped laughing and looked at him. “I know you, Ermal,” he remarked. “I know you don’t wear your heart on your sleeve. I know humour and teasing is your way of showing you care, and this means a lot to me. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else around me.”

“I didn’t want you to think that I didn’t care.”

Fabrizio was so shocked that he could even think such a thing that, for a moment, he couldn't even speak.

“Do you really think that a silly card will make me believe you don't care?” he asked finally.

“It's a special day and you...”

“Yes, it's a special day, but it's special because it provides an opportunity to spoil your partner. It's not an exam you have to pass,” he interrupted. “Ermal, I need a day like today to shower you in romance because let's face it, you carry the burden of this relationship most of the time.”

Ermal reared back slightly, his whole face creasing into a frown, and he might have replied if Fabrizio had stopped talking. 

“You keep the contact going when we're apart,” he continued, feeling the words spill from his mouth before he’d even considered them. “You keep calling and texting even when I'm not doing a great job at picking up, and you never give up even though I know it annoys you that I'm so bad at adjusting to life with a phone. You do the work most of the time when we're in bed,” he added, remembering last night and how unrepresentative it was of their sex life. “You never complain about the fact that you're always the one flying to meet up with me, and that we usually have to spend half of our time together with my children. In fact, you tell me that you enjoy being with them…”

He stopped to laugh in disbelief at his own statement. “I never thought I could find someone who would do more than resentfully tolerate them. You're one of the best things in my life, Ermal. You do so much for me and I wanted you to feel loved and appreciated so you...so you wouldn't think that I don't care.”

He felt like he’d run a marathon when he finished, waiting for Ermal’s reaction, worried that he’d said too much and offended him. Ermal was staring at him, apparently struck dumb. Fabrizio could see tears forming in his eyes.

“Will you watch the pancakes for a few minutes? I'm going to cry so I have to go outside” he said, and left through the back door without waiting for an answer.

Fabrizio did as instructed, letting the smell of butter that filled the kitchen distract him from what was happening, what he had done. This whole weekend was supposed to be about making Ermal happy and instead he’d reduced him to tears. Ermal didn’t take displays like that well. He’d told Fabrizio that it was his nature to be strong and take care of others, that he’d been doing it all his life, but it was hard work and sometimes he just wanted to be the one who was cared for. It was one of the reasons that he’d fallen for Fabrizio, and if he knew Ermal as well as he claimed, he should have remembered and kept his mouth shut instead of declaring himself to be yet another person who was dependant on him.

He looked up as the back door opened and Ermal re-entered, still sucking in deep breaths. His eyes looked red. Fabrizio reached out and thumbed tear tracks from his cheek. “I can't believe I made you cry on Valentine's Day” he said quietly.

“It was the good kind of crying,” Ermal assured him, reaching up and holding the hand against his face, giving a watery smile. “Bizio, listen to me. I don't want you to worry. Sure, sometimes I wish you could come to Milan, but that's mostly when I arrive at the airport. To be honest, I don't know if I would enjoy myself so much if you did. I like Rome as a place. It's got a nice atmosphere, and your kids are here, and as I said I enjoy seeing them too.”

He ran his fingers through Fabrizio's soft bedhead. “It's strange, but I think it works for us. As for what we do in bed, I told you when we started dating that I like to do the seducing and I know I can tell you if I want things to be different on a particular night. So no worries.” He smiled and kissed his cheek. “What were your other concerns?”

“That I don't keep in contact enough.”

“You don't,” Ermal agreed. “And I'll be honest, that really annoys me, but it's as you said. I know you. I know it doesn't mean you don't care. Maybe once I thought it did, but...It's not a reason to give up on you, on this. No-one has ever looked at me the way you do and that's more important than anything. I mean, if the only complaint I have is your refusal to take your phone out with you or charge it until it dies, then this is clearly something special and I don't want to end up losing you because I was negligent.”

Fabrizio leaned in and kissed him softly, trying to convey all of the love he felt. Ermal sighed and opened his mouth, drawing Fabrizio in further, inviting him to forget all about the pancakes and...the phone!

“Oh,” He pulled back. “I forgot to tell you, your phone rang. That's how I found the card.”

He handed the phone over and Ermal looked at the screen, and then swore in Albanian. “She'll have rung the whole family by now” he muttered, redialling and running outside with the phone already by his ear. Fabrizio watched him go with an affectionate smile, and decided that when he came back, and if his boyfriend had no other ideas for today’s schedule, he was going to suggest making a picnic and going to the beach. Ermal would like that, and it would provide a chance for some of that well-earned private time that he’d hoped to achieve this weekend.

Yes, today was going to be a good day.


End file.
